Ontario Disability Support Program

Overview

ODSP offers:

• money to help you and your eligible family members with living expenses, including food, and rent
• health benefits, including prescription drugs and vision care
• employment support to help you find and keep a job or advance your career

If you are eligible for ODSP, the amount of money you get will depend on your specific situation.

You could receive up to $1,368 a month for basic needs and shelter if you are single.

You may receive more than this for:

• benefits (for example, you might get additional money for transportation to medical appointments)
• other immediate family members (for example, if you have a spouse or child you will receive a larger amount)

The amount you get will depend on your specific situation.

Learn about income support, benefits for health costs and other disability supports from ODSP.

How to apply for ODSP

You can apply for ODSP:

• online: Follow the steps below to apply for ODSP online. The application takes 20 to 30 minutes. Submit one application for you and your immediate family members who live with you.
• over the phone by calling the Social Assistance Support Line Toll-free: 1-888-999-1142 or Toll-free TTY: 1-800-387-5559.
• in-person by booking an appointment through your local ODSP office.

The application process may take a few months.

If you do not have enough money to support yourself and your family while we review your application, you can apply to Ontario Works and ODSP at the same time online.

Your eligibility for Ontario Works will be assessed first, and if you are eligible, you can receive financial assistance from Ontario Works while we assess your application for ODSP.

Follow these steps to apply for ODSP online. In most cases, it takes 20 to 30 minutes.

Submit one application for you and your immediate family members who live with you.

Before you start

Make sure that all family members included in your application are with you when you apply online so they can provide their consent and confirm their information.
Have your family’s identification and documents ready, such as:

• social insurance numbers (SIN)
• OHIP cards
• birth certificates
• immigration papers
• tax returns
• banking information

Technical requirements to apply online

To complete the application online, you will need the latest version of one of these web browsers:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Safari
• Microsoft Edge

Step 1: fill in your personal information

You will be asked to fill out your family’s:

• full legal names, dates of birth and status in Canada
• address
• email addresses (for all family members 18 and over)
• total monthly income and available assets
• housing costs
• other expenses (such as child care and disability related expenses)
• your bank account information (if you have one) so you can get your payment quickly

Once complete, submit your application.

Step 2: ODSP reviews your application

A caseworker from your local ODSP office will review your application and will call you within 15 business days to schedule an appointment.

Step 3: meet with the ODSP office to sign and verify your application

Meet with an intake caseworker for your verification appointment.

The caseworker will ask you to provide more information, like copies of bills or other documents, so we can verify the information you included in your application. This could include:

• proof of any income or employment
• shelter costs and proof of residency in Ontario
• bank statements covering a minimum of one month prior to the application date
  • Depending on circumstances, up to 12 months may be required.
  • To avoid potential delays, please come prepared with any additional statements available to you from your financial institution at no additional cost.
  • If you use online banking, most financial institutions provide access to free electronic statements for several years.  
• information on any other assets you may have, such as stocks, bonds or investments

You may also be asked to sign your application package if you have not signed it electronically, including a consent form to allow ODSP to access information about you from other government programs or organizations (for example, the Ministry of Transportation, Employment Insurance, Equifax Canada). This information will help to determine if you qualify for assistance.

If no additional information is required, the caseworker will let you know if you are financially eligible for ODSP within 15 business days.

If ODSP determines that you are not financially eligible for ODSP, you will have 30 days to request that ODSP review your information again.

Step 4: submit a Disability Determination Package

If you are a member of a prescribed class, you do not have to complete this step.

If you are financially eligible for ODSP, you will receive a paper Disability Determination Package (DDP).

This package must be completed by an approved health care professional, such as your family doctor, a registered nurse, a nurse practitioner or a psychologist.

Your health care professional may complete either the paper DDP or the digital DDP.

If your health care professional completes the paper DDP you can mail it to the Disability Adjudication Unit using the addressed envelope that comes with the package.

The disability determination package includes:

• Instruction sheet on how and who can complete the forms
• Health Status Report that asks for information about your medical condition (for example, impairments, restrictions, treatments, duration)
• Activities of Daily Living Index that asks for information about how your medical condition affects your daily life, including your ability to work, care for yourself and participate in your community
• Self Report that gives you the opportunity to tell us about how your disability affects your daily life
• Consent to the Release of Medical Information for you to complete and sign

If your health care professional completes the digital DDP, you may provide your completed and signed Consent and Self Report forms for them to send to the Disability Adjudication Unit digitally.

You and your health care professional should also submit additional medical and supporting information (for example, clinical notes, hospital reports, psychological or functional assessments). This information will help us make an informed decision.

Step 5: ODSP reviews your disability determination package

Specialized ministry staff (including doctors, nurses or occupational therapists) review your completed disability determination package to determine if you meet the legislative definition of a person with a disability.

You will receive a letter from the Disability Adjudication Unit within 90 business days to let you know if your disability qualified.

Step 6: develop a plan

If you are eligible, your caseworker will contact you to schedule an appointment to develop a plan for how best to help you and let you know when you can expect your first payment.

Check the status of your application

If you applied online

You can check the status of your application after you submit it online. This digital feature is available to most applicants.

To check the status of your online application, you will need your application number.

Your application number is in the email we sent you if you submitted your application online. It is also displayed on the confirmation page after you submit your application.

Check the status of your online application

If you applied in person or by phone

You can find out the status of your application by calling the Social Assistance Support Line at:

Toll-free: 1-888-999-1142   
Toll-free TTY: 1-800-387-5559

Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (ET)

Sign in to MyBenefits

Continue an application, report changes or get information about your Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Program case.

Sign in to MyBenefits

Returning to ODSP

If you left ODSP but need to come back for financial help, you may be eligible for rapid reinstatement.

Rapid reinstatement makes it faster and easier for you to start receiving ODSP again without having to go through a disability assessment.

To find out if you are eligible for rapid reinstatement please contact your local ODSP office.

Employment supports

If you are a person with a disability and interested in working, you can get help finding a job. Many supports are available to help remove disability-related barriers to employment.

You may ask ODSP staff for more information about how to access employment supports in your community.

Learn more about employment supports.

ODSP forms

If you are applying to ODSP or are receiving income support through the program, your ODSP caseworker may ask you to submit one or more of the following forms found on the Central Forms Repository (CFR):

• Application for Employment Supports
• Business Assets Review
• Business Income and Expenses Report
• Business Profile
• Employment/Training Income Report
• ODSP Hearing Aid Benefit (Exceptional Circumstances)
• Request for Internal Review
• Rights and Responsibilities Ontario Disability Support Program
• Vehicle Trip Log
• Verification of Disability/Impairment
• Welcome to ODSP Employment Supports

ODSP payment dates

ODSP issues income support payments monthly.

Payments are on the last business day of each month. December payments may be available earlier in the month.

ODSP office locations

Use the social assistance office locator to get contact information for your local office.

Policy directives

You can read the policy directives that provide the requirements and guidance for the administration of:

• income support
• employment supports

Related

• Learn about Social Assistance programs
• Learn more about Ontario Works
• Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities
• Social assistance and caseload statistics
• Tell us about your experience
• Report suspected social assistance fraud